Apparatus for therapeutic care of the legs



United States Patent [72] Inventor WinfrledJeInWel'ding [56] References Cited #22; 5 mm Switwhnd UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 [211 APPL 2,315,997 4/1943 Ginsber 128/25 [221 Filed 1968 3 391 692 7 I968 s ielber 12s 24 p g 52:2? 3,392,723 7/1968 Calvin 128/24 9 [33] swmerhmd FOREIGN PATENTS [31] 7,703 7 608,849 2/ 1926 France 4 128/25 Primary Examiner-L. W. Trapp AttorneysRobert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobfi'to 1 1 mmwsTw-mcm zz'iiimgzzzazzsx3:31:32:

LEGS flatable double wall, the inner wall of the boots having a non 5 Claims 5 Drawing uniform thickness, which is greater in the proximal part than [52] US. Cl 128/24 in the distal part of the boots. The boots are supported on a [51] Int. Cl A6lh l/00 variable inclination pneumatic support and means are pro- [50] Field of Search 128/1. 24, vided for controlling the inflation of the boots andbf the sup- 25 port.

Patented Oct. 27, 1970 3,536,063

Sheet 1 of 2 Patented I Oct. 27, 1970 Sheet APPARATUS FOR THERAPEUTIC CARE OF THE LEGS It is known in the therapeutic art to use sleeves or specially constructed boots in order to transport patients with broken limbs.

There is also known an apparatus which uses boots having an inflatable double wall which is inflated and deflated automatically by means of a preselected program in which the time and pressure can be varied. These boots however have the drawback of exerting an equal pressure on all thepoints of the enclosed limb. The veins can be readily compressed with a pressure of 60 mm Hg, but efl'ective therapeutic pressures are of the order of 120 to 200 mm Hg. However such a compression applied uniformly on the entire leg has for aneffect to obstruct the veins at the level of the thighs preventing the venous return which the compression is precisely intended to improve.

The objections of the present invention are to avoid the above mentioned drawbacks.

The present invention relates primarily to the therapeutic care of the legs and comprises compression boots having an inflatable double wall wherein the inner wall of the boots is of d a non uniform thickness. The thickness is greater in the prosimal part than in the distal part and the boots are supported by a pneumatic boot support having a variable inclinathe valves V4 and V6 while valves V1 and V remain closed.

tion along with suitable control means for inflating the boots and the support.

As a result of the nonuniform thickness of the inner wall, the pressure with which the boot acts on the leg is also nonuniform and is greater in the distal part than in the proximal part. The boot support with variable inclination also makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the boot by facilitating the venous return by gravity.

The accompanying drawing represents by way of example one form of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the apparatus.

FIG. la is an exploded cross-sectional view of one portion of a boot.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the boots with their pneumatic support deflated.

FIG. 3 shows the pneumatic support completely inflated.

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing of the pneumatic control circuit for the boots and the support.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 comprises two boots I and 2 secured to a pneumatic cushion 3 itself laid on a support 4.

The boots are preferably employed with a special chair 5 to the back of which is secured a control box 6. The control box 6 is connected to a source of electric current through an electric cord 9 and controls the elevation of the cushion 3 and boots 1 and 2. The control box 6 houses a fluid pump and a circuit of electromagnetically controlled valves which control the inflating and the deflating of the boots and of the cushion by regulating fluid flow through flexible tubes 10 and l 1.

Boots 1 have a double wall, the outer wall being rigid and possibly consisting of articulated elements, and the inner wall having a thickness diminishing from the entrance of the boots to their foot part as seen in FIG. Ia. When compressed air is introduced between the two walls of the boots, the deformation of the inner wall is consequently greater in the end part of the boot, corresponding to the distal part of the leg compressed by the boot due to the gradual tapering in thickness of the boot inner wall. The compression of the blood vessels will therefore be greater in the distal part than in the proximal part.

FIG. 2 shows schematically the apparatus with the cushion in a completely deflated position while FIG. 3 shows the cushion in an inflated position and at maximum height.

The cushion 3 is constituted by three elements 31, 32 and 33 which can be successively inflated in order to obtain three different elevations, compartment 31 corresponding to an elevation of 45 while compartments 32 and 33 correspond each to an additional elevation of In order to avoid overworking of the pump, compressed air introduced in the elements of the cushion does not till the enof the cushion is constituted by two lateral compartments each having a vertical double wall connected by afront compartment with a double wall forming a chamber whose perpendicular cross section has the shape of a U.

The chamber of element 32 is further connected to the chamber of element 31 through an electromagnetic valve V2 and the chamber of element 33 to the chamber: of element 32 by an electromagnetic valve V3. These valves are, actuated by means of two additional control buttons (not shown) on comtrol box 6.

FIG. 4 shows the pneumatic layout of the pump and of the valves arranged in the controlbrnr 6. This pneumatic circuit comprises a pump P, four electromagnetic valves V1, V4, V5 and V6 and two manually operated valves V7 and V8.

When it is desired to inflate the boots and/or the cushion, the operator presses on a control button 7 which effects energization of the pump and opening of the normally closed valves V1 and V5, with the air circulating in the pump in the direction shown by arrow F. According tojwhether it is desired to obtain only the inflation of the bootsor of the cushion I separately, or of the two simultaneously, the corresponding valves V7 and V8 will be opened or closed.

To deflate the apparatus, the operator presses on control button 8 which effects stopping of the pump P and opening of The air contained in the boot and in the cushion will therefore be pumped through valves V7 and V8, valve V4, the pump P and valve V6 through which it'will escape freely.

During the simultaneous inflation of the'boots, valves V7 and V8 will be opened in such a way that the extra height desired is reached before the boots are completely inflated to increase the effect of the compression of the boots through gravity and to avoid using pressures which may traumatize.

Various modifications are possible for constructing the variable inclination support of the boots. It is, for example, possible to use two elements of a rectangular pneumatic mattress connected by one of their sides, the opposite sides of these elements being connected througha flexible or rigid base. The adjustment of the inclination could then be made by adjusting the securing point of one of the elements to the base or adjusting the length of this base.

It is naturally possible to arrange the base of the cushion on an inclined support if it is desired to adjust the position of the legs below the horizontal. I

In a modification, each boot can be supported by an individual inflatable support which afiords the possibility of separately adjusting the position of the legs. I

In a variant, it is possible to obtain another nonuniform pressure by utilizing a boot with walls of uniform thickness having a variable separation between the extreme edge of the boot and the leg of the patient in such a way that the interior edge more rapidly exerts a pressure on certain points on others.

In another variant, the boot can present two superimposed chambers, the outer chamber being divided into separate compartments which may be selectively inflated while the interior chamber is not compartrnented. Such a system'perr'nits adjustment of localised pressure on the leg in an extremely precise manner.

The boots can also be provided with slide or hook closures allowing complete opening thereof. These closures can be adjustable and for this reason can be provided rows of buckles for the boots or several rows of slides.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for therapeutic care of the legs comprising compression boots having an inflatable double wall, the inner wall of the boots having a nonuniform thickness, this thickness being greater in the proximal part than in the distal part of the boots, a variable inclination pneumatic support supporting thereon said boots, and means for controlling the inflation of the boots and of the support.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support consists of a cushion comprising several chambers connected by tire volume occupied by the cushion, but each of the elements valves.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for controlling the inflation of the boots and the support are arranged in such a way that the inflation of the boots and of the support takes place simultaneously, the excess elevation tc llesired being reached before the boots are completely inated. 

